The European Commission sent “final warnings” on Wednesday 15 February to five countries –Germany, France, Spain, Italy and United Kingdom – for failing to address emissions of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), an air pollutant some 40% of which comes from road traffic and, in particular, diesel engines.
EU legislation on ambient air quality (Directive 2008/50/EC) sets limit values for air pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide. Should these limit values be exceeded, member states are required to implement air quality plans that set out appropriate measures to bring this situation to an end as soon as possible, such as, for example, reducing the overall volume of traffic, using clean fuels, making the transition to electric vehicles, and changing driver behaviour.
The reasoned opinion concerns persistent breaches of NO2 limit values in: - Germany (28 air quality zones, including Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and Köln); - France (19 air quality zones, among them Paris, Marseilles and Lyons); - United Kingdom (16 air quality zones, among them London, Birmingham, Leeds, and Glasgow); - Italy (12 air quality zones, including Rome, Milan and Turin); - Spain (three air quality zones, one being Madrid and two covering Barcelona).
If the member states fail to take action within two months, the Commission may decide to take the matter to the Court of Justice of the EU. To date, 12 member states – Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain and United Kingdom – have been subject to legal action over breaches of NO2 limits. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)